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AL DIVISION SERIES: RED SOX VS ASTROS

October 7, 2017

John Farrell

Boston, Massachusetts - Workout Day

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. When Doug was in here he talked about playing with a vengeance, playing with a little bit of fire, something to prove. Do you get a sense that your guys are sort of bonding over the predicament they find themselves in and maybe trying to find something from that underdog status to get them back in it?
JOHN FARRELL: I think we have had that type of response to a number of different situation this is year. We have talked openly about the resilience, we know perfectly well where we are in this series. I think we are all looking forward to getting on the field here in front of our home fans at Fenway, but as close as our team is, as much conversation that goes on daily, whether it's about what we're currently involved in, what the challenge is that we're facing, this has been a close-knit team. I feel like that will serve us well, much as it's needed.

Q. With the exception of Hanley and Nunez, would you expect a very similar lineup to Game 1?
JOHN FARRELL: Yeah, I would. That's a lineup we have had on the field pretty much I guess every right-handed starter that we have faced. When everyone has been available, that's got Hanley at first, Peddy at second, Bogey, Raffey at third, and then our outfield that's been on the field pretty much every day, not only this series, but for quite some time. So it will be a normal lineup that we have used many times over.

Q. You mentioned you guys have done this and comeback several times all year long. What would be the mindset after kind of a down day today as far as the approach and what you guys try to accomplish tomorrow?
JOHN FARRELL: It is about setting the tone right from the start and that falls in Doug's hands tomorrow, to put a 0 up in the first inning and allow us to capture on the energy here and then build some of our own energy. We know getting on the board first is key to that, but we know that we have got to go out and execute. When we didn't, they have made us pay. But we have seen Doug Fister be able to take a very good lineup and neutralize it in a few starts already this season and we're turning to him tomorrow to lead the way.

Q. The other day you said when you've missed, they haven't. How do you change that pattern. Secondly, you tried some different things with Altuve. Generally speaking, how do you approach him going forward?
JOHN FARRELL: Well, we tried a few things, including intentionally walking him a couple times. To negate their capitalizing on our mistakes, that comes down to pitch execution. We have made a number of center-cut fastballs, center-cut breaking pitches and they have capitalized on them. So by virtue of us miss-locating within the strike zone, that's what good hitters will do to you. Our ability to minimize that, that's the first place to start.

Q. You've paired Fister with Leon most of the time. Down the stretch, are you going to do that tomorrow?
JOHN FARRELL: Likely, yes. There's a comfort level there, there's a rapport, Sandy gets a couple of base hits in Game 1 against Verlander, so, yeah, that would be the approach we would take tomorrow, that pairing.

Q. How much did Doug's postseason track record, he's pitched in a couple elimination games himself, play into the decision to give him the start?
JOHN FARRELL: We have had or we do currently have options available to us, but felt like the way he's been throwing the ball, just maybe the evaluation of the stuff, the current action to the sink cutter, a little bit more depth to the curve ball. I think what we have seen is that when we're able to execute pitches with some added depth to them, a breaking ball, we have been able to maybe slow down some of their right-handed hitters a little bit more. Hopefully that's what plays out tomorrow.

Q. With Price after he threw 38 yesterday, how far do you think he could go tomorrow, and then is there a possibility he does start?
JOHN FARRELL: Well, first things first. We're focused on tomorrow. Anything as it relates to who would start on Game 4 on Monday, we'll get to that when we get through tomorrow. But we have a couple of different ways we can go with that in terms of the starter for Game 4. David's going through his throwing program right now. I'll get a better sense. I would anticipate he'll be available tomorrow. So how that impacts going forward, it's too early to tell that.

Q. To follow-up on that, do you go with an all-hands-on-deck philosophy tomorrow in the bullpen or do you hold Rick out with the potential of Game 4? How do you look at that?
JOHN FARRELL: Tomorrow, yes, there's certainly a sense of urgency. You saw how we attacked yesterday. We didn't hold back. We won't tomorrow. So, again, getting a sense of who is available and for how long tomorrow, once we build into the beginning of the ball game tomorrow, that will be factored into who is being held back. Tomorrow we got to go out and play well and win.

Q. The lineup, how much do you need some of the guys in the top of the order, whether Xander or Benintendi, just some more guys on base?
JOHN FARRELL: Yeah, I think that goes without saying. We have been a team that has relied on one another up and down the lineup. That hasn't changed. We have had stretches of really quality games played, offense produced, and we need contributions up and down the lineup. So I don't anticipate that changing tomorrow. We need everybody in the lineup to do their job.

Q. Would there be any thought to using Sale out of the bullpen tomorrow?
JOHN FARRELL: It's possible, yes.

Q. How is Mookie right now?
JOHN FARRELL: Good, he went through some treatment today, so he responded. He had a little bit of a zinger in the hand in that at-bat, his last at-bat. But he's going to take BP here today, so he's full go.

Q. How is Pedroia?
JOHN FARRELL: As good as he can be right now. I thought yesterday leading into the game, it was probably the best he's felt in quite some time. So he's a hundred percent of what he is right now.

Q. Going into the playoffs, did you guys toss around the idea of Price starting from a theoretical standpoint, a guy who can only go two or three innings? Is that a position you don't want to have where your bullpen has to carry the rest of it, a limited start?
JOHN FARRELL: Going into the series, we felt like we were in good shape with the pitchers that were lined up. The way they were lined up, we felt like the flexibility and the use of David Price in a two-inning availability was advantageous to us, to be able to use it more frequently than maybe one time in a five-game series, that's provided we had time to build him out to 80 to a hundred pitches. I feel like with what David has come back from, the way he's embraced the role, the way he's thrown, we're getting the best out of him that we were allotted or available to us.

Q. Some thoughts about Brad Peacock, facing him. Here's a guy that in March, odds were against him making the team and he is starting Game 3.
JOHN FARRELL: Well, he's had a very good year. You look at the 10 or so appearances out of the bullpen early on in the season before they did stretch him out and put him in the rotation, he's been very consistent in terms of his command. There's a sinker/slider approach that he's done a good job of negating some left-handers which might be challenging given the arm slot that he has, but he's been a very consistent pitcher for them. We saw him here a week ago or so, so it won't be as if we're going in against a guy that we have no history with, a guy that's commanding the baseball and throwing well.

Q. Given the way bullpens are used in the postseason, starters are normally not going to go the lineup a third time. With that in mind, do you want your pitchers to go into a game with a different mindset of not thinking about setting up hitters for subsequent at-bats?
JOHN FARRELL: I don't think anyone has gone in with the thought of pacing themselves or trying to hold back a pitch mix. We have gone in with the thought of pitch every inning as if you're a winning closer, and, you know what, we haven't executed to the consistency we need to. So no, we're not thinking about third and fourth time through the order at all.

Q. How is Mookie's wrist doing? Is there any concern about that, just the fact that it flared up?
JOHN FARRELL: He's full go. He'll take BP today. Good to go.

THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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